Diabetes is considered as a lasting condition in which insulin that is responsible for controlling the metabolism of sugar in the body is either fully absent or ineffective in its function. Individuals who have diabetes usually have unusually high levels of glucose or sugar in the blood stream. With proper treatment, the sugar levels are normalized, but can oftentimes drop too low. Remember that both low and high blood sugar can trigger seizures among diabetic individuals.
Hyperglycemic seizures
Always bear in mind that hyperglycemia is a condition where the blood sugar level is unusually high. The elevated blood sugar can lead to the overly excited reaction of the neurons that comprises the central nervous system which also include the brain. Neurons require a normal level of glucose as their main source of energy in order to function correctly. With the overly excited imbalance in the brain, hyperglycemic seizures can be instigated. It simply means that excess sugar will cause the neurons to work too much, putting them at risk to “short-circuit” thus resulting to a seizure.
Hypoglycemic seizures
The low blood sugar can also result to seizures. The hypoglycemic seizures are essentially common than the seizures due to hyperglycemia. The basis for this is linked to the actuality that the brain fully relies on the sugar in the body to function since it could not produce its own glucose.
It is difficult to predict at what level of glucose in which an individual experiences a seizure. Remember that individuals with chronic elevated levels of glucose might have seizures at a higher level than those who have normal blood sugar. The diminished level of blood sugar decreases the activity of the neurons in the brain. If this measured function is absent, the neurons react by decreasing the activity across synapses, the microscopic spaces in between the neurons that propagate the activities in the brain and preserve the bodily function which leads to a seizure.
Other electrolyte imbalances
Poorly controlled diabetes can also lead to inadequately controlled levels of other electrolytes that can trigger seizures. The elevated serum sodium can also cause seizures. This can occur since water follows sodium around the body. In case the blood has too much sodium, water will try to leave the brain that usually preserves the amount of sodium using its own protective mechanism.
The brain reacts by increasing the concentration of sodium-like substances to prevent excess water from going out. In case the sodium concentration in the blood is corrected rapidly, the brain will not have time to readjust to the new state and water floods it, thus resulting to a condition called as cerebral edema that can lead to seizures.